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A 73-year-old man was arrested Tuesday morning after allegedly trying to set a tent with two people inside it on fire.

Police said they were sent down to the Chapel Street Beach area at 6:11 a.m. Tuesday after two people reported an attempted arson.

When police arrived, they were met by two victims. The male victim said he was sleeping in the tent on the beach with the female victim when he smelled gasoline and woke up. He said he got out of the tent and saw the suspect pouring gasoline on the tent.

The male victim got the female victim out of the tent as he suspect went to light a match. The male victim told the suspect he could have killed them, to which the suspect said he was trying to, police said.

The suspect then allegedly picked up an aluminum bat he had been carrying and chased the victims down the beach. The victims escaped and had called 911, police said.

Police said the male victim knew the suspect, and that he had delivered papers to the suspect when he was a little boy.

Police found the suspect at his house and arrested him. The suspect’s wife was sitting on the porch and gave police the baseball bat, police said.

Jack Aiguier, 73, of Quincy was subsequently charged with attempted arson of personal property, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, and assault with intent to murder.